The 3 Morning Winery Visits That Earn Their Price

1.Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Flight over the Temecula Wine Country

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 256 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $179Our pick

Meet at Europa Village before sunrise for a shared 60 to 75 minute balloon flight over Temecula Valley. Pilots such as Bill, Rusty, and Pete provide the narration, while the crew handles setup and recovery. Finish with champagne, juice, or cider and a flight certificate.

“Fantastic experience! Bill was professional and kept the trip engaging. I loved that he treated his team with respect as he worked with them. He kept us laughing with his jokes and stories to keep the experience fun. You can tell he loves what he does. Highly recommend everyone tries this. I also did the video and photos with his photographer, Wesley which I am super excited to see.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Saint Emilion Morning Wine Tour – Winery & Tastings from Bordeaux

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 186 reviews · from $116Best value

From Bordeaux, join a small group of up to eight for a 5-hour Saint-Émilion morning. An English-speaking guide such as Mel, Nick, or Yan leads you to two wineries, explains terroir and winemaking, and walks you through the UNESCO-listed village.

“I travel alone to Bordeaux and found this tour by chance. It was really amazing! Our guide, Clement, was such a knowledgable and nice guy. The pleasant trip to Chateau Grangey and San Emilion was greatly fun and smooth with our guide and wonderful co-traveller. The toRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Santorini Wine Roads Tour with Wine Tastings Morning & Sunset

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 106 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $181

Visit three Santorini wineries in a group of no more than 10, tasting 12 to 14 local wines with small bites. Guides such as Panos, Constantine, and Nick explain basket-trained vines, volcanic soil, and Vin Santo. Choose a daytime or sunset departure, with afternoon departures after August 30.

“Our guide, Hercules, was very entertaining and engaging. We thoroughly enjoyed this excursion. We learned that wines made in Santorini are not exported, so it was very nice to enjoy local wines exclusive to this region. I would recommend adding this excursion to your Greece vacation. We were picked up at our hotel and dropped off at a different location (per our request) in order to explore a different city after the excursion. The operator made this very easy for us.”

Check availability →Read our full review